THE Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS) totally agrees with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz that bumiputera status should be passed on by either the father or the mother.
The current practice is archaic in its paternalistic attitude. Why are women, who are the ones who give birth to a child, denied the right to pass on their land to their children when they marry a non-bumi?
SWWS has already raised this issue through appropriate channels, and we now call for the necessary amendments to the Federal Constitution to be made in Parliament, and for the matter to be resolved once and for all. This is not only in keeping with the times, but is a legal obligation. Malaysia is a signatory to the Convention of Elimination against Discrimination to Women (Cedaw), which means that our laws need to reflect this commitment.
Article 8(2) of the constitution has already been amended to make it clear that discrimination on grounds of gender is unacceptable in Malaysia. The time has come to be consistent, and for the constitution to be amended again so that all indigenous peoples across Malaysia, men and women, have the same legal standing.
Margaret Bedus
President
Sarawak Women for Women Society
3 Dec 2009
ilann says
Ya sokong. Drives me barmy that I’m not publicly recognised as my grandmother’s granddaughter.
Chinban says
My mother is an Iban. She inherited a piece of land from her parents. But because she married a Chinese, she cannot pass it to her children. What logic is that I cannot understand…discrimination of the first degree. Prejudice and racism are better words.
Malaysian says
This problem is only found among the non-Malay [Malaysian] bumiputera. If you are a Malay, your bumiputera status is already passed down from either your mother or father. Note that you have to register yourself as a Malay for the status to follow you. If your mother is a Malay, but you call yourself a Chinese/Indian/non-Malay [Malaysian], you are not a bumiputera.
For those who want the status, just officially convert to Islam and give yourself a Malay name. Many Chinese and Indian [Malaysians] have done so to enjoy bumi status. After all, a Malay in the Federal Constitution is someone who speaks Malay and is Muslim […]